A Moment as Small as This
by Sheblet
Summary: A series of oneshots, focusing on a bunch of sweet and sour flock moments. Fax, Miggy, Niggy, and other random pairings will be included at some point. Number one: Alphabet Originally called These Little Wonders
1. Alphabet

**Disclaimer: I do not own Max Ride, if I did this is what I'd do:**

***flail* ****Anyway, yea. Enjoy :) **

**Alphabet**

I sighed as we flew through the sky; Gazzy was humming softly, and it was actually kind of peaceful. I sighed. Then, I did a little swooping maneuver, feeling the air rush through my wings.

I took a moment to look at my flock; Gazzy, eyes closed, still humming, the wind tousling his blond hair and white wings; Nudge, who was, for once, quiet, her chocolate brown eyes shining; Angel, my baby, her pearly white wings reflecting the sunlight; Fang, his dark eyes on the ground, no doubt scouting for a place to land; and Iggy, who had a small smile on his face, his blind eyes shut.

"Max," Fang said softly, swooping in next to me. "Yea?" I asked tiredly. "Land there." And there you have it, folks. Another beautiful speech, brought to you by the Man of Many Words himself. I nodded.

"Guys, land in that patch of trees down there!" I called. There were a couple of "okie dokies" and then we were diving, trying to see who could reach the ground first. Gazzy won, his ratty little sneakers kicking up dust in the rest of our faces as we followed suit.

"Max, can we eat?" Guess who that was? Yep, Nudge.

"Sure Nudge, just a sec." I turned to Fang, who already had an answer to my unasked question. "There was a McDonald's not that far from here. I'll go."

"I'll come, too!" Angel offered. Fang smiled affectionately, a pleasant surprise. The only time he ever acted like that was around Angel. I smiled. Angel put her tiny hand into Fang's bigger one and they were off.

Iggy and Gazzy sat huddled by a tree. At first I thought they were discussing bombs, but then I heard what Gazzy was saying.

"This is what an "A" looks like," Gazzy said, drawing an A in the sand. Then, he took Iggy's hand, gently trailing the blind boy's fingers over the inscription. "A," Iggy repeated. "Yep," said Gazzy. "Now you try."

Iggy took a pale finger and placed it in the dirt. Then, slowly, he drew a slightly crooked A that was missing the line in the middle. Gazzy gently pointed this out, showing Iggy where to draw the line.

"And this is a "B"..." It went on like that. I smiled as Iggy's face lit up when Gazzy told him he did it right. I had forgotten that Iggy was only nine when he went blind, and didn't know much about the alphabet.

"Max?" Nudge's concerned voice startled me. "Yea, Nudge?" I asked, my eyes still on Gazzy, who was now drawing a C.

"Why are you crying?"

I snapped back to reality and quickly drew a hand to my face. Tears. "I'm fine, don't worry. Why don't you go help Gazzy teach Iggy the alphabet?"

Nudge's face lit up. "Okay!"

I smiled. I had such an amazing family.


	2. Vanilla

Fang sat on his bed, looking around the hotel room. It was nice, but he knew they wouldn't be able to stay for long. He sighed contentedly and lay back, listening to the gentle sounds of the shower.

The shower stopped, and a few moments later the bathroom door opened to reveal a wet Max dressed in a white tank top and plaid pajama pants. Fang couldn't help but notice the way the tank top showed off Max's flat stomach. He willed himself to look away.

Max flopped down on her own bed. "I would suggest either waiting before taking your shower or taking it in the boys' room. I kinda used all the hot water." Fang smirked and shrugged. "I can wait." The truth was, he didn't want to leave this peaceful time here with Max.

Fang sniffed the air cautiously. It smelled like Max when she was clean; soap and vanilla. He smiled. Max sat up and gave him a strange look. "And why are you so happy?" she demanded.

"You smell nice."

Max blushed, but she rolled her eyes. "Yea, that's cause I just took a shower. Dork."

Fang shook his head. "Vanilla." He loved his one-word sentences. Max stared at him in that innocently confused way that he thought was adorable. Fang, unlike Max, had finally allowed himself to believe that he did, indeed, have feelings for Max. Even from across the room, with his raptor vision Fang could count every single freckle on Max's now dirt-free face.

"Vanilla?" Max repeated, eyes narrowed in puzzlement. Fang nodded once. "That's what you smell like." Max looked away. "Sure, Fang. Whatever you say." Fang swung his legs over and leaned on the edge of his bed, towards Max's. Then, gathering courage, he stood and walked over to her.

Max stayed still and silent. Fang sat next to her, crossing his legs. Then, he leaned in and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and buried his face in her hair. He breathed in. "Yep, definitely vanilla," he said with satisfaction.

"Um...thanks. I guess." Fang smiled.


	3. Infected

**Disclaimer- As always, I don't own Max Ride.**

Iggy winced as his ear seemed to literally explode in pain. He tried not to make a sound, not wanting to wake up the others. The only reason he'd offered to take first watch was because he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep.

Iggy strained his plugged-up ears in an attempt to hear anything abnormal. He knew he should have just let Max take the watch. He sighed, fingering his earlobe. Truth was, he was scared. Something was seriously wrong with him, he just didn't know what.

Maybe it was even his expiration date. His hair was long enough that nobody would be able to see it, and he certainly wouldn't be able to see it, being blind and all. That's why the whole ear thing was getting to him. What if he was going deaf? Then what?

Iggy's ear exploded in pain again. His hand flew up to touch it, and something warm started to leak through his fingers.

Blood.

_This is it, _he thought. _I'm going to die._

He hadn't realized he was whimpering until he felt a small hand on his wing. "Iggy, what's wrong?" Max's gentle voice came through the thickness in his ears, and he turned in her direction.

"I'm bleeding!" he gasped. "My ears have been hurting really bad and now I'm _bleeding!_"

"Oh," Max said. "_Oh."_

"What? Do you know what's wrong? Am I gonna be okay?" Max's hand gripped his shoulder. "You're gonna be fine, Ig. It's just an ear infection." He furrowed his brow. "Infection? You mean like, in cuts and stuff?"

"Yea, but you can get medicine for this kind of infection. Good thing we're going to my mom's."

"Okay, but why am I bleeding?" Iggy was still nervous. "Your eardrum burst, but it's just like a tiny cut. It'll heal soon. I think it's from all the fluid, or something. Ig, you should have told me your ears were hurting. I could have gotten you Aspirin or something."

"Well, I thought I was dying. I didn't wanna worry you," Iggy said sheepishly, a shaky grin forming on his face. Max shook her head and laughed. "I'll get you some cotton to put in your ears tomorrow. That'll keep them from leaking."

Iggy nodded. He was just glad he wasn't dying.

**A/N: I feel Iggy's pain. I used to get ear infections like that ALL THE TIME. It sucked. Aw, poor Iggy -_-**


	4. AN

Oh, God. Yea, I hate these too, but it must be done. I deeply apologize, but this is not a chapter. I'm almost done with the next one, but I'm writing an original story right now too, and have kinda been dedicating my writing time to that.

If you're interested in reading it, PM me and I'll post it on Fiction Press. But it's still in the rough-draft kinda stage. But as soon as it's finished, it'll go through some intense editing. So, yea. Lemme know.


	5. Insomnia

I moaned and shifted in my strangely uncomfortable hotel bed. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't sleep. The word insomnia came to mind.

A low grunt came from my left. I turned to see Fang getting into a sitting position on his bed. Rubbing one eye blearily, he turned to look at me. I couldn't help but think how cute he looked.

Uh, let's just forget I said that, okay?

"Can't sleep?"

"Nope."

"Are you uncomfortable? Want to switch beds?" I smiled. "No, Fang. It's okay. Go back to sleep."

"Are you cold? I can get you an extra blanket."

"Fang. Go back to sleep." He frowned, then lay back down on his side so that he was facing me. His eyes slid closed.

Being awake for a large portion of the night gives you a lot to think about. I wondered vaguely where we should go next. I wondered if any erasers were going to attack. I wondered if Fang loved me. I wondered if I loved him back.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up, Max. Nobody loves anybody, other than on a strictly sibling level.

Aw, who am I kidding? I thought as I looked at his tousled black hair and his peaceful, sleeping face.

I looked away and shifted again, so that I was facing away from Fang's bed. I heard his bed groan as he moved, too. Before I knew what was happening, he had climbed in behind me and one of his arms rested on my waist.

"Fang?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to get you to stay still." He rested his head in the crook of my neck, and I could tell by his deep, even breathing that he was only half-awake, so instead of kicking him off the bed, I let him stay.

I slept through the rest of the night without so much as a twitch.


	6. Beautiful

**A/N: Since I just did 2 FAX chapters, I'm doin' a Niggy one! **

**Disclaimer: How I wish I owned MR....Nope, Jimmy Pat does.**

Nudge and Iggy sat in comfortable silence, Nudge playing solitaire on the cave floor, Iggy laying on his back near the mouth of the cave, absorbing the rectangle of light that flooded in. He looked like a big, blond cat, basking in the sun of a summer's day.

A cat with wings, of course.

"Nudge?"

Nudge looked up from her solitaire lay out to see Iggy getting into a sitting position, his blind eyes gazing intently at some point above her left eye. Iggy was good, but not that good. Behind him, she could see Angel and Gazzy chasing each other, and Max and Fang huddled in a nearby tree, their wings brushing, blushes lighting both their faces.

Whoa, Fang blushing? Something weird was going on.

"Yea, Iggy?" Nudge asked, dropping her eyes so she wouldn't get distracted by the way the light danced around his white wings. He sauntered over to her, sitting carefully in front of her. He crossed his legs.

"Can I see what you look like?"

Nudge dropped her card. She looked up at him. "How?"

He wiggled his fingers.

"Um..." Nudge said uncertainly, feeling herself beginning to blush. Not that it mattered – Iggy wouldn't notice.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, I don't have to. I was just curious."

He went to stand, but Nudge grabbed his hand. Eyes wide, Iggy fell back into a sitting position. He blinked, his blind eyes full of astonishment.

Slowly, surely, Nudge brought his hand to her face.

Iggy traced every line, every contour, of Nudge's face. He gently trailed his pale fingers along her jaw line, over her closed eyelids. They even brushed her lips, lingering there for no more than half a second.

He moved his hands swiftly, and before either of them were ready, the magical moment ended. Iggy dropped his hands and sighed. Nudge remained silent for once. When Iggy had been "seeing" her, the sounds of Angel and Gazzy laughing and Fang and Max's soft voices had faded away; now they returned to her ears, and she regained her bearings.

"Wow," Iggy breathed. He smiled with satisfaction. "You're beautiful. Just like I pictured."


	7. Breathing

"Max!"

I heard the gunshot before I felt it. My eyes widened as pain exploded in my stomach; I looked down to see my shirt becoming soaked with blood. I pressed my hand against it to try and stem the bleeding.

I managed to make a shaky landing. Iggy shouted "Duck!" and we all complied, because when Iggy says duck, you better duck.

A small-scale explosion ruffled my feathers; nothing serious to effect the ground, but bits of metal hit the ground as the flyboys were blown apart.

I coughed roughly, and blood speckled the ground. Someone landed clumsily next to me. "Max!" they said, but my mind was fuzzy and I couldn't figure out who it was.

"Fang?" I asked.

"No, Iggy. You're gonna be fine, Max. Here, lay down."

I did as I was told. Iggy was breathing heavily as he lifted my shirt a bit to reveal a rather large bullet wound. He placed his snow-white hand over the wound, and though he was being gentle, I hissed in pain.

"Sh, you'll be fine," he said softly. I heard the sound of battle above us. Perhaps Iggy hadn't blown up all the flyboys, as I'd originally assumed.

I realized suddenly that the world was turning gray.

"Keep breathing!" Iggy begged as he worked. "Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in..." he repeated, like a mantra. "Keep saying that, Max." I nodded. "Breathe in," I said, and took in a shuddering breath.

My eyelids drooped.

"Max."

"Hmm?"

"You stopped."

"Sorry," I whispered. "Breathe in, breathe out..." I wondered vaguely why he was making me do this.

Then it hit me.

This was the only way for Iggy to know I was still alive. With the sound of battle going on, he wouldn't be able to pick up on it if I stopped breathing.

"Breathe in, breathe out..." mumbled Iggy as he continued the attempt to stop my bleeding. "Max, we're gonna have to take you to Dr. M's. This is really bad."

He lifted me in his arms, as easily as Fang always did. Maybe I'd been underestimating Iggy.

Suddenly, three other bird kids and a bird-dog surrounded us. They started talking excitedly about their victory when they noticed me.

A whine of panic went off as everyone started talking at once. Fang actually started yelling.

"Iggy! What the hell?"

"Language," I croaked.

"We're taking her to Dr. M's. She's been shot."

Without question, my flock shot into the sky. I smiled. That was my flock. Do now, ask later.

"Promise you'll keep breathing," Iggy whispered when we were in the air.

"Okay."

"_Promise_." He grit his teeth.

"I promise. I'll keep breathing, Ig. Geez."

About two miles from Dr. M's house, I broke my promise.


	8. Baby

_A/N: Man, I'm on a roll! So, here we see Jeb's *snicker* "maternal" side._

Jeb watched solemnly as his colleagues struggled to drag the small blond haired child out of her cage. Angel kicked and screamed, holding onto the sides of her cage.

"No!" Max was screaming.

The scientists ignored her.

Eventually, they got Angel out of her cage, with the help of a few erasers. One eraser slung her over his shoulder. She beat his back with her tiny fists. It did no good.

"No!" Max screamed again. The other children were causing a ruckus as well, kicking, shouting, crying.

"Please! Jeb! She's a _baby!_"

Jeb's eyes went wide.

_"Get experiment 312 -"_

_"Her name is Max."_

_The director regarded him with fire in her eyes. Jeb quickly dropped his gaze._

_"Take her to the field."_

_"What?!" roared Jeb._

_"You heard me."_

_The field was a terrible place – many experiments never made it back out._

_Jeb followed the erasers and scientists down the hall, trying to dissuade them. They ignored him. When they got to Max's cell, Jeb was begging._

_"Please, be reasonable!"_

_An eraser tore open her cage door so roughly that the entire cage was tipped on its side. The eraser reached in, eyes glinting in excitement. Max cursed at him, and spat in his eyes. He howled and backhanded her._

_She was only 10._

_"Stop!" begged Jeb. This was Max. This was his little girl._

_An eraser slung Max over his shoulder._

_"Please! You don't understand! She's a _baby!_"_

Max was sent to the field that day.

Jeb had more power now. He wasn't going to let this happen to another little girl.

He raised a hand. All activity seemed to stop. Gazzy sat in his cage, sniffling. Fang had a strangely icy tint to his emotionlessness. Max glared so viciously at him that he was almost scared of her.

"Put her back," he said in a low voice. There was a roar of protest. His hand went up again.

"Now," he commanded.

The eraser did as he was told, and they left. Angel and Max reached through the bars of their cages, their fingertips brushing. A few scientists lingered. Jeb, trying to be inconspicuous, kicked Angel's cage towards Max's, as if in anger.

Only the children knew his true motives. He took one last glance at his baby, then turned and left.


	9. Piano

_A/N: So I don't know if Dr. Martinez would ever get a piano, but I couldn't figure out another place where Iggy would discover such a thing. I know nothing about the piano, so if I got anything wrong, feel free to let me know XD_

_Disclaimer: I seem to be forgetting this. I mean, it IS a fanfic site, of course I don't own MR. Dur. :p_

Iggy wandered the halls of Dr. Martinez's home, occasionally trailing his pale fingers over things. He felt an interestingly colored vase and a floral table cloth.

He frowned when he came across a room with part white, part green walls. It was unfinished. Deciding to explore, Iggy went all around the outside, touching the walls and things against the walls. He bumped into the occasional paint bucket.

When Iggy ventured to the center of the room, he didn't come across anything particularly interesting. Then, his hand bumped something black. It sent strange vibrations through the room. Curious, Iggy trailed his fingers along the wooden black surface.

The black was interrupted by bars of white. At one point, he pressed down on one of the bars, and a strange noise echoed through the room. He stumbled back, startled. Then, he inched closer, and did it again.

I know what this is, he thought. A piano.

He found the bench and sat. Tentatively, he lay his hands on the keys and pressed. The sound that was produced was strangely computeristic, almost similar to a child's keyboard. Nothing like the deep, beautiful sound from professionals. Iggy tried again. The same sound resonated through the room.

Frustrated, Iggy tried to figure out what he was doing wrong. Then, he remembered; weren't there foot pedals? He searched around with his foot. It bumped something that was shaped similarly to a shoe horn.

He pressed down with his foot, then tried playing the same notes again. The sound was much deeper, and very beautiful – at least to Iggy's ears, and they were some darn good ears.

After about a half hour, he had the concept of the piano down and was improvising. He just played whatever came to him.

In the doorway, Ella stood, her eyes misty and filled with wonder.


	10. Big Brother

_A/N: Because of someone (you know who you are) who reviewed, I wrote this. Their review made me smile. I apologize for the evilness. It's a genetic thing. ;) I agree; Gazzy deserves more oneshots. I was actually planning to do him next. Also, I have no idea why the majority of these oneshots start with the letter "B". It just happens._

_Disclaimer; Like I said, it's a fanfic site. I own nothing._

Gazzy held Angel's hand tightly in his own, making sure she felt safe. She looked up at him. "It's okay, Gazzy. I know you'll protect me." He beamed with pride. Of course, nothing particularly dangerous was going on. But Gazzy wasn't taking any chances.

_"We've come for the little one," an eraser said, smirking wolfishly._

_"Gotta be more specific," snarled Max._

_"The one you call Angel."_

_At the time, Gazzy and Angel were sharing a cage. They'd just found out that they were blood relatives. Gazzy had been clinging tight to her ever since. Now, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and glared at the erasers._

_One eraser opened the cage door and tried to grab Angel. Gazzy removed one arm to angrily swat the eraser's arm away. Not expecting it, the eraser's hand was effectively knocked away. Gazzy snarled like an animal._

_Angel whimpered. "Don't worry," whispered Gazzy. Another eraser got down on his knees and tried to grab Angel. Gazzy bit his fingers._

_"Enough of this!" shouted a whitecoat. "Just grab her! I don't care what you have to do!" _

_The biggest eraser reached in. He appeared to be reaching for Angel, but at the last second he altered his course and grabbed Gazzy instead. Gazzy, not expecting it, was yanked roughly from the cage by his upper arms._

_"Gazzy!" shrieked Angel. Gazzy was being held so that he was facing her. "Angel!" he shouted back. An eraser grabbed Angel by the hair. "Come on, Birdie. Time to play," crooned the eraser, showing rows of dripping yellow teeth._

_Gazzy screamed and struggled against his captor. He beat his wings against the eraser's face, but the wolfy creature held fast._

_Then, Angel was gone._

Gazzy made a pact that day. He swore to protect Angel all the time. He watched her carefully, making sure she wouldn't disappear again.

She was his only blood relative, after all.

He promised himself he would be the best big brother for Angel, because she was the best little sister.


	11. April Fool

A/N: I'm sorry, but Fax is just so fun. And I love April Fools day ;)

I sat high up in a tree, watching my flock play tag down below. I smiled. No one was stealthy enough to escape Iggy. He'd started referring to himself as "the all-seeing eye", which made no sense. The boy has problems.

Iggy currently had Gazzy cornered and was grinning madly. Some kind of tickle fight was bound to occur. I smiled. "Die!" Iggy was yelling, tickling Gazzy so that the smaller blond boy's face was turning red with laughter.

I frowned when I noticed a missing flock member. Angel was on Iggy's back, giggling and trying to wrestle him off of her brother and team member, and Nudge was sitting with Total, laughing and pointing.. But where was Fang?

"Yo."

I jumped about a foot in the air, then whirled to face him. He sat on a branch close to mine, his face inches from my own. I gasped and almost fell backwards. "Hey," I said, after I had regained my composure.

"We need to talk," Fang said seriously. Ohh, boy. When Fang wanted to talk, it was usually about feelings. And he was the one with a reputation for lacking emotion! What was up with that?

"Look, Max...." he sighed. Oh no. I tried to stay cool. Fang went on, "You know how I've always liked you..."

"Fang," I interrupted, "Please. Don't."

"No, Max. You have to hear this. I think, maybe...well, you never really liked me back, did you?" He sighed, and went on before I could stammer out an answer, "You don't have to answer."

What the heck?

"It's just.... you don't have to worry anymore. I know how you feel. I know how I feel. I don't....it was just a crush."

Fang was being oddly wordy today. And what did he mean, "just a crush"? He made out with me – or tried to – multiple times! I was just coming to terms with my feelings, it was simply taking a while. He couldn't be giving up on me....

Could he?

"I just... I don't want to hurt you, but...Max....I don't like you like that."

It felt like a blow to the chest.

He turned to leave, but I grabbed his arm.

"I like you like that." There. I'd gotten it out in the open. Now I could breathe.

Sort of.

Fang, looking oddly triumphant, smiled that mysterious Fang smile and said,

"April Fools."

And that's when he kissed me.


	12. Max, My Max

_A/N: A lil fax in Fang's pov, by request. Peace._

I watched Max's sleeping face with wonderment, when I should've been watching for intruders.

One thing I have to say is, no cover girl or model could ever hold the allure of Maximum Ride in a plain white t-shirt and jeans. Her clothes were actually clean for once, but it's not like that actually mattered. I loved her whether she was dirty and blood-stained or clean and fresh smelling – although the blood stains I could do without. They scared me.

I know what you're thinking; "Fang, scared? What the heck?" It happens. Mainly when Max – or any other member of the flock, for that matter – are in trouble or hurt.

Across the clearing, Gazzy let out a particularly loud snore. He twitched and rolled over, whacking Iggy in the face. Iggy grumbled and turned away. I allowed myself a silent chuckle before turning to look at Max again.

Her brow furrowed, and she rolled over so that her back was to me. I frowned and moved in front of her. Her face had become calm again. I sighed with relief. For a minute I thought she was having a nightmare, or another brain attack.

I hated those weird, violent headaches. They hurt Max, and anything that hurts Max is something to be hated.

I reached out, slowly, carefully, and brushed a bit of hair out of her face. She looked so peaceful, so calm. It made me crazy. _She_ made me crazy.

"Fnick," Iggy whispered. Not wanting to give away my strange night habit, I remained calm and asked, "Yea, Ig?"

"My watch."

I sighed, trying not to showcase my disappointment. Iggy could pick up on anything. He had ears like a bat's; perhaps he had more than just bird genes grafted into him. I got up, brushing off my jeans.

Iggy put a hand on my shoulder. "She loves you back. I can tell," he said confidently.

I smiled, knowing he would hear it when I said, "I'm not so sure, Iggy." He shrugged. "Just don't lose any more sleep over it, okay?"

"Sure."

I took one last glance at Max, my Max, then went over next to Angel and lay down. The little six year old, somehow sensing me in her sleep, rolled over and buried her head in my stomach. I put an arm around her.

I thought about Max.


	13. Love Thoughts

**Love Thoughts**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Maximum Ride.**

Love is a funny thing.

I'm not sure if I know what it means yet. Nudge uses it all the time. "Oh my God I loooove these shoes!" "I love Demi Lavato, she's amazing!" "I love chocolate!"

We use the word "love" so lightly these days. Does it even mean anything anymore? Is it just something we can throw into a sentence to make it whole? Or something that makes our hearts whole?

I know, I know. Deep thoughts for a girl like me. But I mean, hey, when you're suddenly on an involuntary vacation with hours of downtime, some thinking is bound to be done.

And yea, you read that right. "Involuntary vacation", meaning no flyboys have attacked and the voice suggested we all just relax in a hotel for a while.

In case you haven't noticed in earlier books, relaxing is not my thing.

So I sit in my (or rather, our; Fang and I have to share...again) hotel room and think. About what? Sometimes I can't even remember. I sit for hours and think, and then when I'm pulled out of my reverie I can't even remember what I was thinking about.

Today I think about love.

Fang likes to talk about love. Or at least, that's what I think he's trying to get at. He drops all kinds of little hints, like "I feel different towards you than I do towards the flock." He often speaks in riddles, too. I don't know what's wrong with his head.

"Knock, knock!" Fang's voice floats through the door, and for a split second I contemplate sound. How does it go through solid objects like that? And then I realize that I'm acting like I have ADHD and quickly answer "Come on in!"

Fang opens the door and saunters in. I smile at him. "Why knock? It's your room too."

"Wanna make sure you're...uh..._decent."_

I roll my eyes at him and cross my legs. I look out the slightly grimy window and wonder why they haven't cleaned it – seriously, this is a place where people are supposed to live! They should keep it clean for God's sakes! Little rays of light struggle to seep through the dirt, and I try to remember just _how much _we payed for these rooms.

Suddenly Fang creeps up behind me, and I can feel his breath on the back of my neck. He puts his arms around my waist and slowly buries his face in my hair, breathing in as if smelling the sweet aroma of a rose for the first time.

Although I'm horrifically embarrassed, I'm sure no one will barge in on us – Iggy took the rest of the flock to the park. Perhaps Fang had been waiting for this moment all along – or maybe he and Iggy had even planned it.

Although he's not kissing me or voicing the words aloud, I feel it in his touch and he breathes it into my hair. When I look up I see it in his eyes.

Suddenly, I know what love means.

**A/N: Jesus I haven't uploaded in a while! Yes it's Fax again, but what's better than that? Unfortunately I've been suffering a bit of writer's block, but this just happened to pop into my head today at school.**


	14. Summer Skin

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it. Also, as you can probably tell, I'm practicing writing in present tense, just for fun.**

**Disclaimer: It's obvious I don't own Maximum Ride, nor Summer Skin, nor Death Cab For Cutie**

**Summer Skin**

_Max's POV:_

I lie in the tall grass, my back cushioned by the soft greenery. All around me the towering strands of green are blown by the wind. I hear the rusty swings squeak shrilly as Nudge and Iggy kick their legs gently, talking softly to one another.

Gazzy and Angel play in the shallow pond of crystal water, giggling and splashing each other. Total sits on the edge, enjoying the gentle spray that came from the kids' frolicking.

Fang sits next to me, his knees held up to his chest by his arms. His eyes are closed, and I wonder if he's fallen asleep. But then he opens them and flashes a smile down at me. I'm nearly blinded by its brilliance.

The small park is peaceful, and has obviously been abandoned for years, according to the tall grass and the condition of the run-down play scape. It is miles from civilization, though a ten-minute flight could take us to the nearest town for food.

It is perfect. Almost too perfect.

Though I appear relaxed, Fang whispers, "Don't worry. Nobody will find us. Just relax." The green grass seems to encase me in warmth and I smile, my first real smile in ages.

"I think," says Fang, "that this is that private island I was always talking about." Both us know that it isn't an island, but it's as close to a private island as we are sure we will ever get.

But Fang can't read my mind, as much as he likes to think he can. And I know that this strange peace can't last for long. It never does.

But as Nudge goes to join Angel and Gazzy and Iggy comes and sits on my other side, humming an unfamiliar tune, I decide that no matter how long this lasts, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.

**A/N: Inspired by the song Summer Skin by Death Cab For Cutie. If I get enough reviews, there may be a second part to this oneshot. This part is only based on the first few lines of the song, and I have more that I could write (and in Fang's POV, too!)**


	15. Love Her Anyway

**A/N: I'm just writing this as it comes out of my head. I don't have anything planned but the fact that this is supposed to be Miggy, so I hope it turns out that way. Bare with me! XD**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Maximum Ride.**

**Love Her Anyway**

Iggy slowly awoke to the same thing he always woke up to; darkness. His head ached and he was stiff from sleeping on the ground. Luckily, it hadn't rained at all as they had thought it would. He felt relatively dry.

He listened. He heard nothing but the soft, even breathing of the rest of the flock. Knowing it was still night, he lay still and tried not to make any noise. His thoughts began to drift.

Experimentally, Iggy squeezed his eyes shut. Then, he opened them again, hoping to see a burst of color. Instead, he saw pure nothing.

Dismally, Iggy rolled onto his back. Sometimes he wished it didn't have to be this way. Although he didn't act like it, being blind was really starting to take a toll on him. He'd even considered suicide once. He just didn't understand what he'd ever done wrong, what he possibly could have done to deserve this punishment.

Iggy wanted to remember what the flock looked like, he really did. But every time he tried to conjure up an image, he would find none. This upset him more than the lack of color or brightness in his life.

Maybe his life was unimportant, and this was Fate's way of telling him so. Someone up there got fed up with him trying to be anything more than a lab rat, and had tried to defeat him by making him blind.

Wallowing in his own misery, Iggy at first didn't notice the sound of someone whimpering. When he finally did, he immediately recognized the voice as Max's. He sat up quickly and listened. Along with the whimpers he heard shifting.

_Nightmare, _he thought, and tiptoed stealthily over to the sleeping Max.

Then, Iggy realized that nobody was on watch. He didn't know who's turn it was, but he assumed that whoever it was had fallen asleep.

"Max, Max, Max.." crooned Iggy softly, holding her small, shaking hand in his and rubbing the cold skin with his thumb. "You're okay," he told her. Slowly, Max grew more quiet and less anxious until she was sleeping soundly again, but Iggy did not move. He could easily keep watch from right here next to Max.

As he held her hand and listened to her even breathing, Iggy was reminded that no matter what problems he had, time didn't stop for him. He couldn't call a time-out or take a mental health day. No matter how bad he felt, the world would keep turning.

And as he felt Max's pulse, he realized that he did have a reason to be here, even if that reason was slightly ridiculous. He loved Max, and although Max loved Fang, Iggy had to stay near her and love her anyway. If he left her for even a little while, his heart felt broken. It was torture to him when the flock split up.

Iggy leaned in and kissed Max's forehead. Under his fingers her pulse quickened.

And the world continued to turn, though a little faster than usual.


	16. Swingset

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, or Swingset Chain.**

**Swingset**

"What is that?"

Fang glanced up. Max was pointing to something across the yard. He turned back to the School to see if anyone was watching. They weren't, so he grinned mischievously at his partner in crime, something Fang would stop doing in about a year or so.

"I don't know, but let's check it out!"

Max apprehensively followed him to the strange structure. There were tall rods with chains hanging from them, and at the end of the chains there were what appeared to be seats of rubber.

Max backed away from the strange structure. "I don't know Fang. I wouldn't trust anything weird out here. It looks dangerous."

Fang just grinned. "Aw, come on!" he said. Then, with a yelp of excitement, he ran over to the strange contraption and sat on one of the rubber seats. In his excitement, he started kicking his legs. The rubber seat swayed back and forth.

"Hey, cool!"

His innocent face lit up, and he pumped his legs faster. Soon, he was swinging so high Max thought the chain would wrap around the top pole.

"Max! You gotta try! It's like flying without flying!" Max smiled at his comparison, but was still uneasy.

Eventually, Fang convinced Max to join him, and together they swung and laughed with an innocence only children posses.

"Hey, Ari," whispered Max eagerly. Ari glanced up from where he was playing with toy cars and smiled.

"Hi Max!"

"Shh," she whispered. "Look, Fang and I are supposed to go sparring, but we wanna show you something."

"Okay!" Ari whispered exaggeratedly, caught up in the excitement of breaking the rules. He gently put his toy cars down and followed Max to the "flying machine".

"Oh, I know what this is!" Ari cried.

"Really? What is it?" asked Fang, his curiosity peaking. Max nodded eagerly, encouraging Ari to speak.

"It's a swingset!"

This name wasn't as cool as flying machine, but it would have to do.

For weeks, instead of doing what they were supposed to, the three children played on the swingset, making up games like "Superman!" and "UFO'S!"

But eventually, all good things, innocence and friendship included, come to an end. Max and Fang were rescued by Jeb, and Ari was turned into an eraser.

Funny how Fate likes to shake things up.

_(A/N: this is in the 3__rd__ book, before Ari dies)_

_Max's POV:_

I was scouring the area for somewhere to land when I noticed something.

"Dive!" I called, and my mini flock immediately obliged.

Angel and Nudge immediately went to set up a fire, Total yapping senselessly about something in Japan. Ari stood off to the side, looking like he wanted to help but wasn't sure how.

"Guys, me and Ari are going for a walk!" I shouted. They regarded me with little grunts. Nudge and Angel were now completely engrossed in Total's tales of Japanese culture.

As we walked, Ari remained silent as he lumbered beside me. I could tell he was confused and wanted to know where we were going, but I wanted to keep it a secret. Eventually, though, I couldn't help myself.

"How long has it been since you've been on a swingset, Ari?"

He paused for a nanosecond, then stumbled after me. "A while," he answered gruffly.

"Oh."

I grinned at him as we came to a clearing. His face lit up.

"Oh boy!"

I choked up suddenly at the way he suddenly sounded like a little kid again. I hadn't heard him say "oh boy" in so long. It was such an...innocent phrase. A pure announcement of excitement and happiness.

"Max, Max! Can I be Superman? Please?"

"Sure."

Ari made little "whooshing" noises as he swung, totally in character. I smiled. Most people would think he looked ridiculous, but I thought it was the sweetest thing I'd seen in a long time.

"It's like flying without flying!" shouted Ari, and the phrase sounded familiar, but I couldn't figure out why.

And it seemed that suddenly, all our grief was forgotten. Our wounds seemed healed and our souls pure.

All because of a swingset.

**A/N: I think this is the first time I've ever choked up while writing a story, ever. I think it was because I was thinking about how Ari died and he was only seven. So sad.**

**Inspired by Swingset Chain by Loquat.**


	17. Blinded

**Disclaimer: It hurts me deeply to say I don't own MR. Le siiiigh.**

**A/N: SCHOOL'S OUT BABY! So that probably means more chapters/oneshots. (One of these days I might even start an actual chapter story.)**

**Blinded**

Little Gazzy shifted nervously in his too-small cage and watched his friends' faces. The baby, the one they had just recently named Angel, was sleeping, as usual. Max was huddled in the back of her cage, knees drawn up and eyes staring blearily at a wall. Nudge, who usually liked to talk a whole lot, was silent, her tiny hands clinging to the bars on her cage. Fang looked the same; stoic, silent. But Gazzy knew he was nervous too.

The silence reverberated through the room as Gazzy turned to look at his last friend, his best friend, and his eyes met nothing but an empty cage. An empty cage that used to hold a bright-eyed, always cheerful little blonde boy in it.

The cage by itself was anything but cheerful.

They had taken Iggy away for surgery hours ago, and all Gazzy did the whole time was worry. His young mind was much quicker than any other little boy's, and while other 4-year-olds (a/n: I'm too lazy to do the math, so unless someone wants to do it for me then I'm just going to make up random ages, kay?) might be confused and not really understand the situation, Gazzy witnessed it with great clarity.

It wasn't necessarily a good thing. Gazzy was sure he'd be better off not knowing that his best friend could die.

Suddenly and without the warning of footsteps, the door to the lab room was flung open. A whitecoat marched in holding a small figure. He held the tiny person at arm's length, looking at it with obvious disgust and contempt. Gazzy clearly heard him mutter, "Filthy rat," before heaving the figure unceremoniously into Iggy's cage.

What were they doing? There had to be some mistake. Perhaps they had moved Iggy?

It took Gazzy several moments to realize that the tiny, pale figure _was _Iggy. When he came to this conclusion, he let out a wail of horror and relief. Relief because Iggy was (hopefully) alive.

Horror because Iggy's entire head was bandaged, all the way to the bridge of his nose. Blood soaked quickly through the bandages and dripped down Iggy's sickly pale face. He had a rash on his arms, as if he'd had an allergic reaction to some kind of medication. If it was possible, he'd gotten even thinner in the six hours he'd been gone.

"Iggy?" Gazzy whispered. Max was now pressed up to the side of her cage that was closest to Iggy's, trying to wake him up. Eventually, the blonde boy stirred and then yawned, such a casual and normal thing to do that Gazzy almost felt relieved.

"Ugh, what's this?" groaned Iggy irritably, reaching up to touch the damp bandages. He grabbed one edge of them and started to pull. Max threw herself against the side of her cage so it knocked into Iggy's.

"Idiot!" she scolded. "Don't take it off, you're still bleeding!"

"It itches!" whined Iggy. "I'm taking it off! If you really want, I'll put them back on after, but my eyes are so itchy and I want to see everybody."

Unfortunately, when Iggy removed the bandages, there was nothing for him to see.

"What? Why did they leave the lights off? Is it night time?"

"The lights are on! Plus, they don't turn the lights off at night, 'cause they don't care. They said if we can't sleep with the lights on, too bad. So the lights are still on. Why did you think they were off? I--"

"Nudge!" squeaked Gazzy, tired of her babbling. She shut her mouth, blushing.

Iggy was starting to panic. "It's dark! Why is it dark? Guys!"

Everyone remained silent. Gazzy looked at Max for help, only to see her eyes misted over with tears.

"Guys! Say something! Max!" Iggy sobbed.

"Ig....I'm so sorry." This actually came from Fang, surprisingly enough. Fang reached through the bars of his cage and grasped Iggy's shaking hand (a/n: not like that you sickos!! :D)

After everyone but Iggy and Gazzy had fallen asleep, Gazzy decided to try his own pep talk.

"Ig?"

He didn't get a response. Iggy continued to stare blankly at the wall, not seeing it.

"Iggy."

Slowly, as if he was unsure, Iggy turned his face in the direction of Gazzy. Gazzy's pep talk flew out the window, as he so wished to do, when he saw Iggy's eyes. Pale and hollow, they were not the same eyes as before. Of course they'd be different because Iggy was blind now, but somehow they were altered in more ways than one. They showed a soulless pain and emptiness that scared Gazzy.

Iggy raised his eyebrows, willing Gazzy to speak. Gazzy, realizing he hadn't said anything for several seconds, struggled for something to say.

"Um...how are you feeling?"

Then, Iggy terrified him even more. He laughed, a cold, hard, humorless laugh that was hoarse and almost crazed.

"Worthless," Iggy answered. "A hindrance-" Gazzy didn't know what that meant, but he was sure it wasn't something he'd want to call himself - "like I'm just a load of dead weight. I can't do anything. What if one of you needs my help?"

"You'll be okay."

Iggy squeezed his now blind eyes shut, and a few tears – mingling with leftover blood – leaked out. Gazzy's four-year-old heart broke.

"We can still make bombs together, right? I'll help you. I know all my colors now! I can tell you what colors the wires are, and then we can blow up more erasers, like that time the other day! We can still make bombs. We can, right?"

Iggy frowned and was silent. Gazzy shrank back, regretting his sudden outburst.

"Yea," Iggy said slowly. "Yea...we can still make bombs together. And you can tell me the colors. Because you're my partner in crime. Yea, we'll do that."

Gazzy beamed, and Iggy, already able to sense things he couldn't see, smiled back.


	18. Scared

**Disclaimer: Uh, no.**

**A/N: I should seriously consider just doing Fax oneshots from now on.**

**Scared**

The flock was on their way to Dr. Martinez's house, Max occasionally shouting out coordinates, even though everyone already knew the way. There was a peaceful silence among them.

Max decided to break that silence, calling, "Okay guys! Land in that clearing!" The flock, though sad to leave the peaceful sky, were slightly relieved to be landing. Nudge was particularly glad.

"Thank God! I'm sooooo hungry! Can we eat? What do we have? Maybe we could go hunting! I – mmmph!"

"Thanks Ig." Max grinned, and Iggy returned the favor, somehow sensing it. "No prob, Boss." He saluted and swooped down to the ground before Max, still grinning, could smack him over the head playfully.

Fang was smiling ever so slightly, watching Max yell at Iggy, pretending to be angry. As he continued to watch her, however, he became alert. Max narrowed her eyes and put a hand to her head, frowning. Then, suddenly, her whole body went rigid.

Wings included.

"Max!" Fang dove after her body, which appeared to be twitching violently, but he couldn't be sure. He sped up, wondering if this was a brain attack or something worse.

Max was just mere feet from the ground and Fang wasn't catching up. Suddenly, sooner than Fang expected, her body met the ground with a loud smacking sound. Fang's eyes widened. Though she hadn't been too far from the ground, it was still a dreadful fall.

"Max," he gasped, making a clumsy landing and running over to her. She was, as he'd suspected, twitching violently, her body convulsing, eyes wide with pain and terror, glassy and staring straight up.

The rest of the flock made slightly more graceful landings around him, Iggy the first to react, hearing the strange noises coming from inside Max's throat.

"She's seizing!" he shouted. "Make sure she doesn't hit her head!"

Fang eased Max's head onto his lap and held it there. "Now what do I do?!" he shouted, panicking. This was terrifying. Max's body jerked, fists clenched so tight he thought her knuckles would pop out of her pale white skin. Her jaw was also clenched tightly.

"We can't do anything, we can just wait for it to pass." Fang glanced around at the white faces of the flock. They all looked like he felt; terrified.

Max's back arched suddenly, and she let out a little choking noise. Fang smoothed her hair out of her face. "Max, what is it?" he asked. "How can I help you? What hurts?" But of course, she didn't answer.

After what seemed like a painstakingly long time, Max's body stopped convulsing, and she sighed a little, her entire body relaxing. Fang continued running hands through her hair. She smiled weakly up at him, too tired to be embarrassed.

"What was that?" shouted Nudge suddenly.

"Brain attack...but a little worse," Max managed to utter. Everyone sat there, speechless.

"Well, go eat lunch!" said Max impatiently, carefully lifting herself off the ground and pretending she was good as new – which Fang knew she wasn't.

Everyone apprehensively did as they were told, but Fang pulled Max into a crushing hug against his chest – and Max hissed in pain.

Duh. She'd freaking fell from the sky!

After doing a polite visual sweep for injuries, Fang found that Max was just really bruised. After he realized she was hurting, he pulled her into a gentler hug, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Slowly, Max wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You scared me," Fang whispered.

"Is that so?" teased Max.

He pulled away to show her the serious look on his face, and her eyes widened when she realized just how scared he really was.


	19. Wanna?

**A/N: Whoa sorry for the lack of updates. I don't know what happened. **

**Anyway, this was inspired by the song Slide by the Goo Goo Dolls.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Max Ride or Slide.**

**Wanna Get Married?**

Max and Fang lay under the stars, Max's head laying on Fang's chest. The even breathing of the rest of the flock was like surround sound.

Fang pointed to a random star above Max's head. "I wanna name that one."

"Fang, I think all the stars already have names." Max grinned at him.

"So? I think I'll name it..." he pretended to think. "Max. That's a nice name, don't you think?" He squeezed Max's sides slightly, and she tried not to squeal. She was ticklish, and Fang knew all her pressure points.

The two lay in silence for several minutes, admiring the smattering of glittering beauty above them. Then, Fang spoke.

"Hey Max?"

"Mmm?" The way she mumbled her response told him she was nearly asleep. He stroked the palm of her hand with his thumb.

"D'you..." he paused.

"What, Fang?" Max was slightly more alert now.

"D'you wanna get married?" He felt her tense up. "What?" Max asked. Fang smiled at how cutely bewildered she sounded. "We could get married and run away. Wanna?" Max twisted around to look at him. Then, she kissed him.

When Max pulled away, she smiled and said, "You're silly."

But Fang had been serious.


	20. Always

**A/N: Whoa guys, sorry I haven't updated in, well, FOREVER, but I get lots of writer's block which can only be cured by music, and so of course this chapter is inspired by a song. That lovely song would be Find A Way by The Used. Or at least, some of it is. Not the beginning, but mostly the end. Anyways, look it up.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing D:**

**Always**

Max was stressed, to say the least. The Voice kept popping up at the worst times to fill her mind with its fortune cookie mumbo-jumbo, and she couldn't sleep because every time she closed her eyes strange images would dance across her eyelids. She always had a headache, no matter how much Advil she took, and she was stretched to her breaking point. She kept snapping at members of the flock without meaning to, but they did not resent her for it. They understood her discomfort.

One thing Max worried about was, what if she was nearing her expiration date? Oh God, please no. Max wasn't ready to die yet. Every night after showering she checked the back of her neck, fearing what she might see. No date. Yet.

The only part of her life that was going right was that she and the flock were staying at her mother's house. Max loved her mother, and her half sister Ella. The house always held some form of comfort for Max.

One night, Max was finally so tired that she fell asleep on the couch, with Fang sitting in a chair across the room, watching some old movie and typing on his blog. The soft _tap tap _of his fingers on the keys soothed her and lulled her into a seemingly peaceful sleep.

_"Max!" Max turned to see Angel staring at her with tear-filled eyes. "What is it, Sweetie?" Max asked softly, trying to sound comforting. Then, out of nowhere, Angel was getting needles stuck in her, and the little blond-haired girl was screaming in pain. _

_ And then, Angel's wings fell off in ribbons of feathers and blood._

_ "Angel!" Max screamed, but she couldn't move to help her baby. Then the rest of the flock were losing their wings as well. Finally, Max felt her own back searing in pain. She turned to see her own wings falling to the floor...._

"Max! Max, wake up, it's just a dream, wake up..."

Max's eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright. Fang was there, eyes wide. Max panicked, the image of Fang's beautiful black wings lying limp on the floor. She quickly turned him around and lifted his shirt. There were his wings, attached firmly to his back without a trace of blood. She touched them, then the area where they met his back, just to be sure they were real.

"Max?" She turned him back around and hugged him, beginning to sob violently. Fang scooped her up in his arms easily and carried her to his room. He whispered soothing things in her ear the whole way.

Fang set Max under the covers then crawled in after her. He wrapped his arms around her and put his face in the crook of her neck. Once she settled down, Fang whispered, "Want to talk about it?"

Max was silent. Fang took this to mean no.

Fang started to kiss her delicately. First her forehead, then each cheek, then her nose, her chin, slowly making his way to her lips. Max smiled a little. Noticing this, Fang said, "I'll kiss you forever if it will make you feel better."

Max revealed her surprisingly straight, white teeth. Fang smiled back.

They were once again engulfed in silence. Then, Fang suddenly asked, "Do you love me?" Max hesitated and Fang's heart dropped. Then, very quietly, she replied,

"Always."

**A/N: Okay so I realize most of this doesn't seem to relate to the song, but trust me, it still inspired the story.**


End file.
